January 2010 - skunkworks - Skunkworks Site

Toshiba satellite L500 -017
by Eva Kimathi 19 Jan '10

19 Jan '10

Hey I made a silly mistake, shrunk my hdd before I made a backup of the drivers and the other stuff as I was supposed to. I need a 'lifeline'. Help

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Will .Net kill JAVA .... someday ??
by Murigi Muraya 19 Jan '10

19 Jan '10

There has been some debate about whether .Net will kill Java some day @ http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&gid=43315&disc… My position is that .Net will not and does not need to kill Java. So no flames ..... Here are some comments posted that concur with my own observations & sentiments .. ________ Ashish Kaila<http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=6141554&authToken=wFJ8&aut…> As much as I wish, .NET will not entirely replace Java - is what seems to be the case. .NET is not so much prevalent in mobile space as Java is. Many players such as IBM and Google are still pushing for Java as for non-MS OS Java is the only major managed platform (I still don't think Mono is anything beyond concept level yet and not ready for enterprise apps certainly and the sole reason for many shops to use linux is to prevent licensing cost). Eclipse has certainly prolonged Java's lifespan coupled with Java -> JavaScript tools that Google uses for its web suite such as maps. ________ Derrick Haller<http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=14077990&authToken=y8PC&au…> Until .NET can run on a UNIX/Linux machine it will never "kill" java. I feel Oracle will do more damage to java than .NET. I believe they have already announced they rae not supporting older versions of Java. .NET will run on the majority of windows platforms while Java will do the same with UNIX although I do agree that Java has not made nearly as many enhancements to their architecture compared with .NET__________ Brian H. Madsen [MVP]<http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=5883345&authToken=Wm2n&aut…> Horses for courses.... as any tradesman would tell you, it's about using the right tool for the job. Insofar as will .Net "kill" JAVA - then i don't think so. Will more and more users migrate from JAVA to .Net? yes, certainly so - especially with adoption rates as high as they are these days. So, why don't I think it will "kill" it off - well, corporations has invested millions upon millions on systems that these days are vital to either their core products, services or simply their internal systems - as we well know, there's houndreds and thousands of legacy systems in place today that rates back to before .Net was even here. These systems are still actively being used and modules are built to extend their initial implementation reason. What i am very pleased by, is that there's whole communities out there today that focuses solely on adapting .Net to their base systems - be it MONO or other similar platforms. This tells me that .Net is definitely here to stay. _______ Aaron Erickson<http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=1891482&authToken=X0jq&aut…> James, please forgive me, but is not Java now an Oracle product? Oracle has an absolutley horrible reputation in the area of developer support. If anything, Oracle tends to destroy programming platforms, not help them. As for various versions of .NET, it simply is not true that each version is substantially different. 2.0 added generics to the core framework, 3.0 added WCF, WPF, WF, and a few other APIs, 3.5 added LINQ, 4.0 added dynamic. The ecosystem around .NET is amazingly large, yet, the core bits (IL) you run an app with have not changed all that dramatically since .NET 1.0. To say they are different is to really misrepresent what has happened. MS has a core product, it's called .NET, and it is on it's 4th major release. As for the language debate, I addressed that earlier. C# and Java will co-evolve. Even Java people will say that C# is ahead right now, but Java will probably catch up at some point. Obj-C will recede, and a mobile framework that enables you to program the iPhone/Droid/etc. with a common language (again, probably both C# and Java) will emerge. Simply too much economic incentive to take mainstream development languages and techniques to the mobile form factor. Monotouch has already proven technical viability. Java moving there too is only a matter of time. ____________ Vadim Katsman<http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=3353777&authToken=q3G7&aut…> Looking comments of this discussion, it actually reminded me the grand phylosophical discussion - Java vs. Microsoft - I really refer to 2 main threads of development architectures, design patterns, tool families, run-time frameworks, deployment strategies, toolsets, languages, libraries etc. - what really constitutes one platform vs. another. Since .Net Framework is a most modern (for the tme being) platform on Microsoft line, the question is asked about lifespan Java vs. .Net but it is really a question about Java path vs. path following Microsoft development vision, ideology and platform, and one of potential values of this discussion is to review and validate development trends - for newbies to select the path (which is really career determining decision), for others to adjust long-term commitments.(either to switch either way or to stay if both paths are viable). While .Net Framework is the best development platform to date offered by Microsoft (and I stayed in Micrsoft camp for at least 15 years), it will be replaced with something else in future (it is not matter of "if" but "when"), but this is rather to advantage of the overall platform, which is not .Net but tuned to current delivery targets DNIA architecture - distributed network internet architecture - a platform to develop and maintain enterprise solutions, which happen to require today to become RIA, but tomorrow it will be something else (such as pointed out in other comments mobile applications). I have on my machine all Visual Studios since 1998 and evolving together with Microsoft vision was a relatively smooth process - what we do today has very direct, natural and consistent roots from earlier technologies - COM/DCOM/COM+/WSDL, DAO/RDO/ADO/ADO.Net etc. - and because of it is maintained by one company all of these are supported to date. Just few weeks ago I was assisting the client with migration from NT40 to W2K3 and exposing legacy COM+ application as web services - the best testament of long life time of the development thread today called .Net but in reality part of long rooted, historically stable and would be supported in future vision to build modern solutions at all levels. __________ Brian Bass<http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=9399040&authToken=EPyn&aut…> While I am an avid C# programmer I have also been consulting for over 10 years and have found the reverse to be true. Because Java was the hot language in the early 90s there is a big glut of Java developers already out in the marketplace. Also, those old developers are now managers and directors of IT. Recently I found out an old employers director of IT was once a Java developer and has now mandated that all new programming is to be developed in Java. I worked at Nokia a couple of years ago and was on one of the only .Net teams there. The rest were Java. It is almost as if it is a religious war when you talk about Java vs .Net. I recently defended .Net to people and the fact is always that .Net kills Java in speed tests, lines of code and time to market all the way around. If the business world was only forward thinking all projects would be developed in C#. But in the balance sheet world Java requires no money for licensing, has more open source add ins and there are more Java developers so you don't have to pay them as much as a .Net developer. The business director has to ask - will this software do the same thing as the other language and the answer is usually yes. Then the director has to ask some questions - What have we been using in the past? Is it worth it to change? Would hardware be a limitation - Wintel or Sun? and many other business specific questions. Java seems to be winning out in that arena because it is hard to put a dollar value on performance and productivity. I also recently worked at a non-profit and they used projects from colleges to enhance their websites. The colleges would turn out AJAX with Java Beans and Hibernate web apps. I converted them to ASP.Net AJAX and found that the college kids of today are being taught by their professors that Java is the top language. These professors are ones who got their degrees at the height of Java. But, if the college kids were smart they would learn .Net instead and be able to command a higher salary in the marketplace. So I don't think Java is going to be killed any time soon. I think the old systems will always be put on an upgrade path to the next version of the language they were originally developed in. It is the new development where .Net should win, but that is all based on whether the client is from a Java world or Microsoft world. The fact is there are more people that come from a Java world than .Net. There are more shops that utilize Java. I just look at all of the open source projects and Google APIs and can see that Google is a little anti-Microsoft in their tools. It is frustrating because .Net is soo much better than Java and Google is ignoring a growing segment of developers. I think the turning point will be Windows 7 penetration. Since the OS is popular and shops are actually willing to migrate old NT servers to Windows 7 the .Net Framework is ready, willing and able to be utilized. Over the years the Java operating systems will lug behind even more and will eventually fade away. Maybe in 20 years there will be new languages, but I am willing to bet the .Net framework is here to stay and will eventually dominate the software and web industries. __________ Jeff Potts<http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=41531057&authToken=PoJF&au…> "Does anyone agree or disagree? ==> Larry Ellison et. al. are going to train customers and favor Oracle (aka proprietary) over Java for BI, BPM, etc. That is not good news for Java." --------------------------------------------------------------------- It may or may not affect JAVA. Then again, Oracle's proprietary development system is not a broad-based development language. It has a specific focus, and it has been around for long enough that if elimination was the motive, JAVA would be past history. And, as for Bill Gates being the son of the Devil, some anti-establishment types consider Oracle to be the Seventh Level of Hell. I've been developing Microsoft apps since Windows was version 2.0. In that time I've seen all the trends that have popped up between then and now. There is a big enough "maverick" contingent out there that will absolutely refuse to follow any path forged by a big, evil corporation bent on profit (perish the thought) no matter how much easier it makes their lives. One only need to look at the fact that Borland and Delphi are still around (and still have a sizable application/developer base) to see the absolute worst that could happen to JAVA. JAVA isn't going anywhere far. So don't fret. <http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=10018040&authToken=IGDj&au…>

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Looking to set up a merchant account
by Joseph McDonald 19 Jan '10

19 Jan '10

Good Day All! Am in the process of setting up a web business. I want to receive payments via credit cards,visa,master cards and debit cards. Can any one with information on how to set up merchant accounts and payment process gateway assist. You can contact me offline (mcdonaldoj(a)gmail.com) Thanks

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OFF TOPIC: master in computer science at Nairobi university
by John Kamau 19 Jan '10

19 Jan '10

try this http://tinyurl.com/yh2styw

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For those interested in Information Security
by aki 19 Jan '10

19 Jan '10

Came across this link : http://www.irongeek.com/ . Has some good insights.

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Best movie theme songs/music?
by aki 19 Jan '10

19 Jan '10

For me Batman : the Dark Knight end credits theme tops any so far. What an instrument rich theme music, esp from 1:50. Link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNsjjjHt5l8&feature=related . Enjoy. :-) -- "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." - Henry Ford

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[ATHCON2010] CFP/1st Call for Papers - AthCon IT Security Conference
by John Maina 19 Jan '10

19 Jan '10

AthCon IT Security Conference - http://www.athcon.org Call for Papers and Workshops http://www.athcon.org/cfp >From 3rd - 4th June AthCon, the first highly technical information security conference in Greece will take place in Athens at the Jockey's Country Club (http://www.jockeyscountryclub.gr) * Day 1: Training (Thursday 03 Jun 2010) * Day 2: Sessions (Friday 04 Jun 2010) AthCon is an annual, European two-day conference targeting particular areas of information security. It’s aim: to bring leading information security experts together, under the theme of twenty sessions and four -intense- training courses. The first AthCon will be held from the 3rd to the 4th of June 2010 in Athens, Greece. Attacking techniques of exploitation and various forms of penetration testing have become an important component of any organisation. This conference aims to provide a venue for understanding the ever evolving changes as well as new threats. The program committee invites proposals for paper presentations, demonstrations and poster contributions on any topic relevant to cyber security and hacking with particular emphasis on the following: * AJAX/Web2.0/JavaScript Security * Biometrics * Digital Forensics * Exploitation Tactics * Java & .NET Security * Malware Analysis * Mobile Device Security * Operating System Security (7, XP, Vista, GNU/Linux, OS X, Plan 9, *BSD, …) * Personal Area Network hacking * Rootkit Detection, Techniques, and Defenses * Source Code Auditing & Review * Steganography & Cryptography in Information Security * Web Framework Security Your submission should include: 1. Name, title, address, email and phone number, 2. Short biography, qualification, occupation, achievement and affiliations (limit 150 words). 3. Summary or abstract for your presentation (limit 150 words) including a draft copy of presentation/paper 4. Time (40-60 minutes). Include time for discussion and questions 5. Technical requirements (video, internet, wireless, audio, etc.) Each speaker will receive: * One economy class return-ticket to Athens, Greece * 2 nights of accommodation in the conference hotel (http://www.semiramisathens.com/) * Free transport between the conference hotel and the venue * Breakfast, lunch, daily coffee breaks * Speaker activities before during and after the conference * Speaker closing party ticket and relevant access http://www.athcon.org/cfp/ Please send your proposal to cfp(a)athcon.org as soon as possible and no later than 1st of March 2010. Call for Workshops proposal This is also a call for workshops. One of the objectives of this meeting is to allow researchers to gain a background in areas that they may know little about. Towards that end a number of Workshops are planned. * Again please read the detailed CFP for more information: http://www.athcon.org/cfp Please send the workshop proposal to cfp(a)athcon.org as soon as possible and no later than 1st March 2010. CFP Program Committee The CFP program committee is comprised of the following OWASP Greek Chapter members: * Athanasios Kostopoulos, [Senior Penetration Tester] * Costas Vassilakis, [Professor, University of Peloponnese] * Dimitris Mitropoulos, [Researcher, Athens University of Economics and Business] * George Argyros, [Researcher, University of Athens] * Konstantinos Papapanagiotou, [OWASP Greek Chapter Leader/Information Security Services Manager, Syntax IT Inc] * Manos Kellinis, [Senior IT Security Consultant KPMG] * Stelios Tigkas, [Senior Security Consultant, FortConsult] * Vassileios Vlachos, [Professor, TEI of Larissa] * Yiorgos Adamopoulos, [Postmaster, Technical Chamber of Greece] Kind regards, AthCon organising committee ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This list is sponsored by: Information Assurance Certification Review Board Prove to peers and potential employers without a doubt that you can actually do a proper penetration test. IACRB CPT and CEPT certs require a full practical examination in order to become certified. http://www.iacertification.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Business Daily RSS
by Alex Ngatia 18 Jan '10

18 Jan '10

Hi people, If the Business Daily webadmin is on the list, or someone has his/her contacts please ask them to check the RSS feed, the links don't redirect to the correct webpage. -- Regards, Alex

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ISP SWIFT GLOBAL USERS
by Alvin Jason Ochieng 18 Jan '10

18 Jan '10

Any users who are using these guys? I have a very distraught client who wants to leave them and is being frustrated on shifting MX records to the new ISP for 2 months now !!!!! Any one out there on SWIFT GLOBAL? Alvin

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OFF-TOPIC: Someone Seeking Internship - Networks
by Chris W. 18 Jan '10

18 Jan '10

Hi Everyone, I have a guy in his last year of taking a BSc.in Computer Information Systems looking for a 2 Months internship and keen to be exposed to Networks and Administration. Kindly assist if you know of any available posts. Regards, Chris_w. dabnix(a)gmail.com

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